PTM 96

Extra 5: Art Exhibition (Continuation from the main story)

I walked into the dining room, which was filled with the aroma of food, while adjusting my tie.

The morning news was playing on the television. The father and son pair sat facing each other, each having breakfast.

“…According to the press office of the Penglai Provisional Coalition Government, the draft of the Equal Rights Law, jointly submitted by Chu Luo, leader of the New Penglai Party, and Jiang Man, leader of the Free Will Party, was unanimously passed by the Provisional Government Committee yesterday and will be officially promulgated and implemented from today.”

“The bill covers multiple areas including employment, education, housing, healthcare, and marriage, and explicitly prohibits all forms of discrimination based on ethnicity, ancestry, gender, and sexual orientation. It is the first comprehensive affirmative action legislation enacted since the establishment of the new regime…”

“Good morning.” I sat down between them and asked Zong Yinzhuo with a smile, “Did you sleep well last night?”

Although Zong Yinzhuo was already very skilled at eating on his own, he was still young. Aunt Chun would cut large pieces of food into smaller pieces before each meal to make it easier for him to eat.

“Yes.” He picked up a piece of pumpkin with a colorful fork and put it in his mouth. After chewing, he continued, “I dreamed yesterday about lots and lots of little rabbits, some blue, some white, and some pink… They were all fluffy and huddled together, and then they turned into a big rainbow cloud and flew up into the sky!”

Hearing that he slept well put my mind at ease.

“That’s amazing.”

Since the concert hall bombing, he had suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, often experiencing nightmares and waking up crying. To address this, Zong Yanlei specifically hired a renowned child psychologist from Baiyujing to provide him with psychological intervention, which had now been ongoing for over half a year.

The nightmares filled with screams and loud noises slowly visit our site decreased, replaced by whimsical, childlike dreams. This was a good thing.

“…The New Penglai Party stated that the passage of the bill marks Penglai’s formal departure from the old era of classifying citizens by bloodline and status. The Free Will Party also issued a statement saying that this is an important step for the people of Wo and Penglai towards true equality.”

“I’ll draw it tomorrow!” Zong Yinzhuo said enthusiastically as he picked up a shrimp and asked Zong Yanlei across from him, “Daddy, are you coming to see my drawings today?”

Upon hearing this, Zong Yanlei turned his gaze away from the news, smiled, and said, “Yes, of course I will. I’ll head over as soon as Dad’s done with his work.”

The nobles of Penglai had never attended kindergarten; they had been taught one-on-one by private tutors from a young age, and some even stay home until high school. Zong Yanlei was one such example.

However, firstly, there was no longer any distinction between nobles and commoners; secondly, Zong Yinzhuo’s psychologist also said that group life had a good positive guiding effect on his physical and mental health.

So, three months ago, Zong Yinzhuo turned six and stepped into the kindergarten gate for the first time.

“Then you have to hurry. We’ll be waiting for you.” With that, Zong Yinzhuo moved the carrots on the plate to the side.

I looked at it, then picked up a few pieces of carrot and put them in my mouth. Afterwards, to balance things out, I gave him two pieces of broccoli from my plate.

“Thank you, Mom.” He smiled and happily skewered the broccoli, humming a song I couldn’t understand, and ate it bite by bite.

“…According to another report, the New Penglai Party, led by Chu Luo, completed its formal registration last week, becoming the second legally registered political party under the new regime, after Free Will. That concludes today’s headlines. Please see below for other news.”

Zong Yinzhuo attended a long-established private kindergarten with a history of fifty years. In addition to Baiyujing, its branches were also located in other cities in Penglai. The principal was over eighty years old and still worked on the front lines, personally devoting herself to the affairs of the kindergarten.

She firmly believed that parents were more qualified guides for children’s growth than teachers. For this reason, she often organized various activities to strengthen ​unauthorized copy​the emotional bond between parents and children.

Today happened to be the day the children held an art exhibition themed around “parents.”

The kindergarten repeatedly reminded the parents that they must be present. However, things didn’t go as planned, as the Sun God team had a crucial event to attend that day.

Since the discontinuation of the GTC, this was the Sun God Racing Team’s debut in the metaverse arena. The participants were all former reserve drivers from the youth training system. There were no star drivers on the team; the event was not a renowned world-class competition, but a small scale rally championship. However, given the significant changes the team… and even the entire country had gone through, this crucial debut race, both emotionally and logically, made it difficult to explain the owner’s absence.

Fortunately, Zong Yanlei only needed to attend the opening ceremony and didn’t have to stay until the end of the event. He said he would leave as soon as the race started and made sure he could make it.

“Mom, it’s up ahead, the chick class!”

The kindergarten gates were wide open, and some parents held their children’s little hands tightly, while others gently picked them up. Guided by the innocent voices of the children, they began today’s”exhibition” visit.

I carried Zong Yinzhuo into the chick class, which was marked with a little yellow chick.

My face was fairly well-known, so I wore a mask to cover it up to avoid causing a commotion. No one recognized me as Jiang Man. However, whenever Zong Yinzhuo called me “Mom,” nearby parents would always glance at us with surprise.

“Mom, this is what I drew!” Zong Yinzhuo excitedly pointed to a painting on the wall.

The classrooms had been transformed into a small exhibition hall, with the walls covered with children’s paintings. The children’s crayon lines were childlike, and the colors were vibrant. At first glance, the colorful scene was like stepping into a series of spring gardens.

Like most children, Zong Yinzhuo’s paintings depicted parents and himself.

The difference was that other children drew themselves between their parents. But Zong Yinzhuo drew me standing in the middle, wiunauthorized copyth him and Zong Yanlei hugging me.

“Why did you draw me in the middle?”

Although they were all crooked stick figures, Zong Yinzhuo was sensible. Zong Yanlei was drawn the tallest, I was the second tallest, and he was the shortest. Since he could not reach my shoulders like Zong Yanlei, he drew a stool underneath, stood on it, and then hugged me.

He drew that stool with exceptional care, even including perspective, as the four legs were not all on the same plane.

“Because you are very precious.” Zong Yinzhu hugged my neck and blinked his red eyes. “Daddy said that you were about to leave and didn’t want us anymore. It was only after he begged that you stayed.”

“He also said that I should call you ‘Mom’. Because an uncle can leave at any time, but a mom won’t.” He thought for a moment, “Mom, um… Mom will always be with Xiao Mitang.”

I was taken aback when I learned the truth behind his insistence on calling me “Mom”.

Compared to Zong Yanlei, I didn’t like children that much.

My affection for Zong Yinzhuo had always come more from association  than direct love for him. Because he resembled Zong Yanlei so much, I unconsciously wanted to indulge him; because he was important to Zong Yanlei, he was also important to me; because Zong Yanlei loved him, I loved him too.

But just now, I suddenly remembered what Chu Luo said back then.

“When you love someone, you will understand how happy it is to have a child with them.”

Happiness.

The moment he said “You are very precious” [Read on]in his soft, innocent voice, I felt a surge of dopamine deep in my brain. It instantly pushed my emotions to an unimaginable peak.

This familiar feeling had only ever appeared when I was with Zong Yanlei.

A few seconds later, as it slowly subsided, without much thought, I realized that this was “happiness.” I was happy to be able to become his parent alongside Zong Yanlei.

“Yes, I will always be with you.” I leaned in and pressed my forehead against his. “Daddy too.”

I probably love him more than I realized.

Although Zong Yinzhuo only had one painting, there were still several hundred paintings from more than a dozen classes combined. I carried Zong Yinzhuo around. We chatted and laughed, waiting for Zong Yanlei to arrive. We strolled around for a full two hours.

The exhibition was open until 4 p.m. We waited until 3:30 p.m., but Zong Yanlei still hadn’t appeared.

There were fewer and fewer parents and children in the kindergarten. Zong Yinzhuo’s mood gradually changed from being full of anticipation to downcast.

Zong Yanlei always kept his promises. I trusted that, so I didn’t call to urge him.

I took Zong Yinzhuo back to the chick class and reviewed those paintings again from the beginning. Just then, a tall, long-legged figure walked in from outside the door.

I caught a glimpse of the other person out of the corner of my eye and looked over there. Zong Yinzhuo saw him too, and shouted, “Daddy!” He then reached out his hands to the person who had come.

Zong Yanlei walked up to us and took him into his arms, “Sorry I’m late.”

He had dressed up for today’s formal event and even wore cologne. The moment he walked in, the room s[unauthorized copy]eemed to brighten slightly.

“Have you been waiting long?” After holding the child securely, he freed one hand to pull me closer to him by the back of my head, and quickly kissed my hair.

Even though we’ve done intimate things many times before, I was still stunned by this kiss.

My dopamine levels spiked again, seemingly without end.

I shook my head: “There are fewer people now, you’ve come at just the right time.”

Zong Yanlei scanned the classroom and asked, “Which painting did Xiao Mitang draw?”

“That one was drawn by Xiao Mitang!” Zong Yinzhuo pointed with his little hand.

“Here, here…” I led Zong Yanlei to Zong Yinzhuo’s masterpiece, cleared my throat, and began to act as a guide, “Come, this is Painter Xiao Mitang’s latest work, ‘A Family of Three and a Stool.’ What do you think? Doesn’t it catch your eye? Look at the brushstrokes, the use of color; it has the spirit of Monet and the structure of Kandinsky. Given time, it will definitely become extraordinary…”

Zong Yanlei held Zong Yinzhuo in his arms while gazing at the three crooked stick figures and the four-legged stool that was drawn with exceptional care.

He didn’t respond to my pretentious explanation; he just watched for a while, then smiled.

The smile was very soft and faint.

But I knew what that smile meant.

Just like me, he was also experiencing the taste of “happiness”.